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Judy Woodruff wins Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism

 
Judy Woodruff [Courtesy of PBS.org]
Judy Woodruff [Courtesy of PBS.org]
Published April 13, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG — Judy Woodruff, a trailblazing anchor known for her reporting at NBC, CNN and PBS, has been named the third recipient of the Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism.

Woodruff was among the first women to cover the White House for a national TV news network; she served as senior White House correspondent for NBC News from 1977 to 1982. When President Ronald Reagan was shot, Woodruff was the first on the air with the news.

She later spent 12 years at CNN, anchoring the weekday "Inside Politics" program. When she and Gwen Ifill became co-anchors of PBS NewsHour in 2013, it was the first pairing of female co-anchors on a network news broadcast.

She is now managing editor and the sole anchor.

"Judy Woodruff is not just one of the great broadcast journalists of this generation, she's a pioneer who broke down barriers for women in the industry and stands as a role model — both as a professional and as a person," Poynter Institute president Tim Franklin said in a news release. "She's done it all, covering huge stories, moderating presidential debates, hosting a daily program on CNN and anchoring the 'NewsHour' with distinction. As accomplished as she is journalistically, she's an even better person."

Franklin also lauded Woodruff's support of her fellow journalists. She once served on the institute's National Advisory Board and was the founding co-chair of the International Women's Media Foundation.

Woodruff will be honored on Nov. 4 at Poynter's annual gala in St. Petersburg. The recipients before her were Tom Brokaw and Bob Schieffer.

The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, which is located in St. Petersburg, owns the Tampa Bay Times.